Exerciser



Oct. 25, 1932. F c, TREAT 1,884,392

EXERCISER Filed Nbv. 17. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR flaw 627 1917. BY

ATTORNEYS,

F. C. TREAT Oct. 25, 1932.

EXERCISER Filed Nov. 17. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O m w m T C a 5 F Patented Get. 25, 1932 FRED C. TREAT, F GUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO EXERCISEB Application filed November 17, 1930. Serial No. 496,047.

This invention relates to exercisers such as are commonly used for exercising the musclesof the back, chest, shoulders, abdomen, legs, arms, or hands, and more especially it relates to exercisers of this type comprising an elastic element provided with a handle or handles for gripping the same.

The chief objects of the invention are to provide improved means for securing the handles to the elastic element; to obviate the requirements of protuberances on the elastic element for attaching of the handles; to avoid strain on the end portions of the elastic element and to prevent mutilation thereof; and

to provide an exerciser which is readily adaptable for use either as an exerciser for the back, shoulders, arms, legs, and abdomen, or only for the hands, wrists and forearms. A further object is to provide for readily changing positions of the hand grips of the device to adaptit for use by various persons having longer or shorter reach, or who may desire stronger or lighter tension in the elastic element.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an exerciser embodying one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1 on a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the invention as it is used for exercising the hands, wrists,

or forearms;

Figure 4. is a section on line ure 3; I a

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modification of the invention as it is used for developing the hands, wrists, or forearms; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified form of the means by which the handle is secured to the elastic element.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1 0 is an elastic strap of suitable extensible material, such as rubber, and 11, 11 are attachments comprising metal hand grip 4-4 .of Figmembers secured to the respective end portions thereof. Each hand grip member is joined integrally at its respective ends to one end of a pair of side bars 162 12, the other ends of which are integrally joined to a transverse member or abutment 13 which is laterally ofiset with relation to the side bars 12 and formed with end flanges 14, 1 1. Mounted in the end flanges 1 1 and preferably threaded into one of them is a bolt or pin 15 which is disposed parallel to and spacedfrom the member 13, and said bolt carries a tubular sleeve 16 thereon which is sufficiently larger than the bolt to permit sub stantial relative movement of the sleeve laterally of the bolt. The strap 10 passes around the sleeve 16 between the sleeve and the transverse abutment 13, as is most clearly shown in Figure 2, the thiclmess of the strap preferably being such that there is a'close fit between the sev eral parts to prevent separation of the hand grips and strap when the latter is not under tension. The arrangement is such that tension on the strap 10 draws the sleeve 16 into the eccentric relation to the pin 15 as shown, with the result that the sleeve is strongly urged'against the underlying strap structure. Because of the resilient nature of the constituent material of the strap 10, it is subject to deformation, and thus it is securely confined between the sleeve and the transverse abutment by the pressure of the sleeve. If desired, the respective end portions of the strap 10 may be formed with wedgeshaped thickenedportions 17, 17 which require to be distorted or deformed to pass between the sleeve 16 and member 13 in the mounting of the hand grips on the strap, and thus provide additional protection against separation of the hand grips and strap when the latter is not under tension.

The arrangement by which the strapv 10 passes at least half way around the sleeve 16 anterior to the point of application of the confining pressure has the eifect of relieving the end portions of the strap of some of the strain incidental to the use of the exerciser, since the frictional resistance of the sleeve to relative movement of the strap thereon distributes the strain over a relatively large 95 area and prevents localization thereof in the region where the sleeve presses the strap against the member 13. The result is longer life of the elastic member.

In FiguresBand 1 is shown the exerciser .100

as it is used for exercising the hands, wrists and forearms. The hand grips 11 are adjustably maintained at a determinate distance from each other so that both may be grasped by one hand of the user, and drawn toward each other against the tension of the elastic member 10.

For so positioning the hand grips 11, an attachment comprising a rigid frame 18 is provided, said frame consisting of a rod or heavy wire, each end portion of which is bent in a reverse curve to provide a pair of adjacent, parallel portions 19, 20 which project laterally at right angles to the straight middle portion of the frame. Mounted upon the members 20, which constitute the outermostof the laterally extending portions of the frame 18, are respective sleeves 21, 21 which are sufliciently larger than the members 20 to permit substantial relative movement of the sleeves laterally of the members 20. The sleeves 21 are restrained against axial movement upon the members 20 by pins 22, 22 which extend through the respective sleeves and through respective apertures 23 in the members 20, the apertures 23 being sufficiently larger than the pins 22 to permit limited angular or lateral movement of the sleeves.

The frame 18 is associated with the strap 10 by threading the respective end portions of the strap around the sleeves 21 and between the latter and the frame members 19, as is most clearly shown in Figure 4, the arrangement being such that when the hand grips 11 are drawn toward each other, the sleeves 21 are drawn toward the frame portions 19 and thus forcibly engage and confine the strap 10 therebetween. Thus the hand grips 11 may be positioned any suitable distance apart to fit the hand of the user, and are adapted to be drawn toward each other against the tension of those portions of the strap 10 that are between the hand grips and the sleeves 21.

The arrangement by which the strap 10 is confined between the sleeves 21 and frame members 19 provides for the rapid and easy assembling of the frame 18 with the strap, provides adjustability for adapting the article to bands of various sizes, and provides otherinherent advantages such as are set forth in connection with the sleeves 16.

In the modification shown in Figure 5, which is designed for hand, wrist and forearm exercise, there is provided an attachment comprising a frame member 25 which at one end is reversely curved the same as the member 18, and is provided thereat with a sleeve 26 of the same character and function as the sleeve 21 of the preferred embodiment. The other end portion of the frame 25 is curved, as shown at 27, to fit the palm of the hand. The strap 10 is threaded about the sleeve 26in the same manner as in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hand grip 11 being so positioned as to be gripped by the fingers of the user when the curved portion 27 of the frame 25 rests against the palm of his hand.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 6, an eccentric or cam 30 is journaled upon the bolt 15 of an attachment such as a hand grip 11*, and the elastic element or strap 10 is passed around the cam and between the latter and the transverse element 13 of the handle. The arrangement is such that tension on the strap 10 turns the eccentric angularly about the bolt 15 as a pivot, with the result that the eccentric wedges the strap between itself and the transverse element 13.

The invention is susceptible of other modifications within the scope of the appended claims Which are not limited wholly to the specific construction shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In an exerciser, the combination of an elastic strap, hand grip members secured to the respective ends thereof, and a frame member including means for grippin the strap intermediate its ends as to disa 1e a part of said strap permitting the remainder thereof comprising an end portion and hand grip to be used as a hand exerciser.

2. In an exerciser, the combination of an elastic strap, hand grip members secured to the respective ends thereof, and a frame member including means for gripping the strap intermediate its ends as to disable the medial part of said strap permitting the end portions of the strap and hand grips thereon to be used as a hand exerciser.

3. In an exerciser, the combination of an elastic strap, hand grip members secured to the respective ends thereof, and a frame member comprising an offset, reversely looped portion about which the strap is threaded and having means thereon for gripping such strap in such a manner as to securely hold the stra when a hand grip is moved relatively of the frame.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 including a loosely mounted sleeve on one side of the looped offset portion of the frame adapted to be so moved relatively of its mounting toward the other side of said looped off-set portion by tension in one portion of the strap as to confine the strap between itself and said other side of said looped offset portion of the frame.

5. In an exerciser, the combination of an elastic strap, a hand grip member secured to an end thereof, and a frame member formed at one end with a hand grip portion and formed at its other end with means for attachment to an intermediate portion of the strap.

6. In an exerciser, the combination of an elastic strap, a hand grip member mounted upon an end thereof, and a frame member formed at one end with a hand grip portion and formed at its other end with a reversely curved portion about which the strap is threaded one side of said reversely curved portion carrying a shiftable element about which the strap is threaded through said portion whereby tension in the strap shifts said element into clamping engagement with said strap.

7 In a device of the character described, the combination of an elastic strap and an attachment therefor, said attachment being provided with an abutment, a sleeve support, spaced from said abutment, and a sleeve movable on said support, said strap being threaded through the space between the abutment and sleeve and about the latter whereby said sleeve is adapted to be so moved relatively of the support by tension of the strap as to confine a portion of the latter between the sleeve and the abutment.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of an elastic strap and an attachment therefor, said attachment being provided with an abutment, asleeve support spaced from said abutment, and a sleeve loosely mounted on said support, said strap being thread-ed about said sleeve and through the space between the sleeve and abutment whereby said sleeve is adapted to be forced into eccentric relation with said support by tension of the strap to confine a portion of the latter between the sleeve and the abutment.

9. A combination as defined in claim 8 including a locally enlarged portion on an end of the strap ofsuch size as to require distortion to pass between the sleeve and the abutment.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of an elastic strap and an attachment therefor, said attachment being provided with an abutment, a sleeve support, and a sleeve mounted on the support so as to move eccentrically on said support, said strap being threaded about the sleeve and between said sleeve and said abutment whereby said sleeve is adapted to be so moved on said support by tension of the strap as to confine a portion of the latter between the sleeve and the abutment.

FRED G. TREAT. 

